A Man of his Word
by NightShade94
Summary: The young Miss Gilbert stirred up memories of long, long ago. Before the curse, before his family was damned by vampirism, and before he lost them all.


**A/N: Just a little something that popped into my head. And because Elijah is still not back to VD, I have to live through fanfiction. *sigh***

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><p>He hadn't lied to her. Hadn't had to, for even as they made the deal, Elena Gilbert had understood what was left unsaid. She knew the repercussions of such an agreement, and yet, she had agreed. She wouldn't do anything to sabotage their plans unlike her small army would be dying to once they figured it out, wouldn't do anything foolish akin to running away unlike Katerina.<p>

Seated in one of the plush armchairs in his suite, Elijah pondered over the newest Petrova doppelganger. She was different. The young Miss Gilbert stirred up memories of long, long ago. Before the curse, before his family was damned by vampirism, and before he lost them all.

She was selfless, that much was obvious. She wouldn't hesitate to lay down her own life if it meant that her loved ones remained safe. And she would fight to the end to protect them, no matter what. She was fierce; she had that Petrova fire too. The only thing that set her apart from Katerina and Charlotte before her was that she used that fire to light up the world for others, not to bring their world burning down around them. Just like another Petrova from so long ago. And she would, ultimately, pay a heavy price for it. History stood witness to that.

Sighing wearily, Elijah pulled himself away from those memories. No use pouring salt over old wounds, unhealed as they remain. No, he had more important things to do; keeping an eye on the town's resident Scooby-Doo gang for one, not to mention planning the decisive downfall of his brother. The brother he had once protected with his life.

It was true; there was a time when he would have done anything for Niklaus. Had gone so far as to harbor and shield him when their… when _his_ father condemned him. Had chosen him above almost everyone and everything and not only because of the brotherly love he felt for Klaus. It had gone beyond that; even then, he was a man of his word. And for over five hundred years, he had kept his word, until he couldn't anymore. But he was sure Mama wouldn't begrudge him that decision. Surely she would have understood why it was that he walked away from his brother.

So many promises. As the eldest of seven, he had had so many responsibilities on his shoulders. So many limitations that somehow never seemed to apply to his other siblings. With their father gone almost all the time, it had fallen upon Elijah to be the head of the family. And so he had raised his siblings, as best he could. He hadn't always succeeded however; he had after all been little more than a youth himself. But after the initial hiccups, he had done his job well. Nobody could have ever doubted that his brothers and sister grew up without a father spearheading the family.

Elijah had wanted to be a warrior. He had wanted the glory and honor that came with war. That was not to be though, as their father claimed on one of his rare presences at the homestead. His mother had been quick to agree. If he went away to become a soldier, who would take care of the family trade? Who would keep his siblings in check? How would he keep his word?

And so he had let that dream fade away into the morning light. He never once uttered a word of complaint. He was, after all, a man of his word. But that didn't mean that he had hung up his bow or let his sword rust. He could keep up with, and even outperform the best of them. At least he had that private satisfaction. Something that Klaus, his favorite sparring partner came to know and resent. Not that that ever stopped him from challenging Elijah to a duel. And not that Elijah ever refused. Their sparring gave him a chance to take out his frustrations on something other than a parchment and quill. And it gave Klaus the opportunity to relieve himself of all the negative energy he carried with him even then.

And then she had come in to their world, and suddenly everything was right with the universe. At least that was how it seemed like to him. Their happiness was short lived however, for in the aftermath of their disastrous change and the curse that followed, she was gone. He had been devastated; the pain of losing his first love had almost destroyed him. Their family was irrevocably torn apart, and in spite of searching high and low with the aid of his new found abilities, she was nowhere to be found. He had almost given up then.

The only thing that kept him from snapping a branch off the oak in their backyard and putting it through his heart had been his mother's desperate pleas. She had begged and pleaded with him to please, keep Klaus safe. To protect him and stand by him, no matter what the cost. And just as he had all the times before, he had given her his word. So when their entire family, even their mother for all her pleas, turned their backs on Klaus, he had stood firmly by his brother's side.

He and Rebekah had been the only ones to follow Klaus and leave their home that night. And it had been the three of them for more than half a millennium, when Katerina had arrived.

Elijah patiently observed the scared little girl from Bulgaria, looking for any sign or semblance of _her_. And he had been severely disappointed. It didn't stop him from caring for her however, a weakness his brother despised. Niklaus could never understand why Elijah would ever want to feel anything after their past. Elijah, on the other hand, could never understand why his brother was so hell bent on burying his human side. And when he did find out, after Katerina fled and after Trevor betrayed them, he had been so appalled and horror-struck that he had walked out right then and there.

Klaus did not threaten him, or try to stop him, for he knew that if it came down to outright combat, Elijah would still have the upper hand. And if he wasn't wrong, it was one of the reasons that his brother was so insistent on breaking the curse. After all, if they can't beat you, they would have to join you, wouldn't they? And loneliness had always been Klaus' Achilles heel.

For the second time in a short while, Elijah shook himself away from the reminiscences. He couldn't turn back time; it was one of the few things he was indeed incapable of. But he could make sure that history didn't repeat itself. At least, some parts of history. Elena Gilbert need not worry. He wouldn't fail her. If he made a deal, he kept the deal.

After all, Elijah was a man of his word.

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><p><strong>AN: So what do you think? One-shot? Or should I continue?**

**Please leave a review.**

**-NightShade94**


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